The "rocky treasure-chest" of the Panis is identical to Vala, the stone split by Indra to liberate Dawn. The myth is a variant of that of Indra slaying Vrtra, imagined as a stone serpent, liberating the blocked rivers.
Graeco-Roman authors equated the Parthians with a Scythian tribe called the Parni (i.e. Greek Parnoi), which has been equated by some with the Panis. Strabo (11.9.2) mentions that the Parnoi belonged to the Dahas ("Dahae") and lived in Margiana and that they founded the Arsacid empire of Parthia (Parpola 1988).
The Pannis were and important tribe of Afghanistan lasting to the time of Sikandar Lodi. Ahmed Abdulla in his books writes, "The most important Pakhtun tribes of the Division are Kakar, Panni, Tarin, Shirani and Achakzai all of whom are split up between Baluchistan and Afghanistan. It is further recorded in Sindh that, "According to native accounts, the Parni Afghans came to Sibi (Siwi) in 1470 AD. This same text writes that Parni Afghans are also known as "Panni".
References
- Parpola, Asko: 1988, The Coming of the Aryans to Iran and India and the Cultural and Ethnic Identity of the Dasas; The problem of the Aryans and the Soma.
- Sethna, K.D. 1992. The Problem of Aryan Origins. New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan.
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Last updated on Saturday May 31, 2008 at 09:49:42 PDT (GMT -0700)
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